Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Defence if the position of British and French nuclear weapons has been discussed within the European security and defence policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6749/05]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Defence if the stationing of 480 US nuclear weapons in eight bases in six European countries, five of which are in the EU, has been discussed at meetings of EU Defence Ministers; the implications of these weapons for the EU defence policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6750/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 130 together.

At the European Council at Helsinki in 1999, member states set themselves a headline goal, that is, that "by the year 2003, co-operating together and voluntarily, they will be able to deploy rapidly and then sustain forces capable of the full range of Petersberg Tasks as set out in the Amsterdam Treaty", that is, in short, humanitarian, rescue, peacekeeping and crisis management operations including peacemaking.

The ambition of the EU, to be able to respond rapidly to emerging crises and undertake Petersberg Tasks peace support missions, has and continues to be the key objective of the development of the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP. Accordingly, the issue of nuclear weapons, apart from the protection of personnel against the effects of nuclear, biological and chemical, NBC, agents, has not and does not arise in the context of participation in ESDP.